Her Last Wish
by Bya-kun52
Summary: Ukitake Rukia, a wedding planner, only has 6 months to live and wants to live them fully. A vacation trip leads her to Kuchiki Byakuya, a successful business, who lives in guilt and has a damaged past. When they meet, romantic sparks fly. Unable to deny their attraction, they attempt to heal each other but as in all love stories, they encounter many obstacles...
1. Chapter 1

Her last wish…

A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic. My best friends encouraged me to do so. This is an AU fanfic of our favorite pairing Byaruki. I hope you like it and please review so that I know what you think of it. Enjoy!

Disclaim: I don't own bleach or any other characters. They belong to Tite Kubo.

Chapter 1

Tokyo, Japan,

S. Hospital

It was a peaceful morning. Birds were chirping a sweet melody in the distance as a beautiful picture of the sunrise could be seen in the orange coloured sky. The dews on the grass shining like glittering diamonds, reflected by the sunlight, and the comforting calm indicated that the terrible storm of last night passed away. A warm glow of light entered the dark hospital room through white curtains and enlightened it, revealing a petite figure on the hospital bed. She had short, shoulder length, black hair and a face resembling that of an angel. Her only companion was the continuous beeping of machines whose wires were attached to her. She was sleeping peacefully without a care of the outside world, as if she had not fought hard for her life in the operation theater the previous night. And yet, this was not the first time she had to endure the pain whenever she had a relapse.

The door of the room opened slowly, without creaking, letting in a man with long, white hair. Despite his old age, he had a muscular body and was still in form though he had frequent coughing fits. He gazed at his daughter as he approached the bed. He sat down on a chair nearest to it and took her small, fragile hand in his larger ones. He kissed her hand softly while looking at her with sad eyes.

'Rukia…' he thought as he watched her chest rising gently up and down.

As if sensing that someone called out for her, the girl's eyes opened, revealing bright purple eyes. Those eyes once shone with happiness and spirit and now they only showed regret and sadness. Turning her face towards the voice that called her, she smiled slightly when she recognized her father and said in a throaty voice.

"So I'm alive after all."

"I never doubted it. You are the strongest girl I know." he said with a soft, kind smile.

Rukia chuckled a little, still feeling weak. 'Ah, how I hate this feeling of weakness.'

Looking out of the windows to view the beautiful scenery outside, she thought of all the times her father had to worry for her health. She hated making him worry. She had always wanted to be strong, to not show any hint of weakness and to be able to make him happy, not sad. And that's what he always felt whenever she was at the hospital. In that instance, she made her decision. Lowering her eyes to conceal her feelings from him, she took a deep breath and finally said,

"Father, I'm thinking of taking some time off work to rest."

Surprised was the only word to describe his expression. To put it bluntly, he, Ukitake Juushiro, would never have thought that his 24 year old stubborn daughter would ever take a leave from the work she loved so much. And that was to organise weddings. She was very proud of being a wedding planner. It was one of the numerous works in which she obtained great satisfaction. She excelled in her profession and was popular and successful. Ever since childhood, it was her dream career. And for that, she even ignored her health most of the time.

'It's a miracle that she decided to postpone her work for her health.' He thought as he smoothed her hair away from her face with his other hand.

"But, of course. You can always complete your work some other time. Right now, your health is more important." he said happily.

"That's what I don't have-enough time to live." said Rukia regretfully.

"Rukia…," Ukitake gasped out, his face showing a pained expression, "please, don't say that."

"You know it's the truth, don't you, Father? No matter how much I wish to deny it, it's still a fact: I only have 6 months left and I want to live them at the fullest. I don't want to have any regrets afterwards." she said looking at him with glassy eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

Ukitake regarded her in return silently for a long moment. Finally he said,

"I know there is still hope for you to recover. Dr Kyoraku told me that you could be cured and you have the strength and the will to fight the disease. Don't give up, Rukia. There are a lot of people for which you have to live for. And besides," he continued teasingly to cheer her up, "you still have to fall in love, right?"

Rukia laughed as she remembered the joke they shared. It was that she wanted to live the experience of falling in love at least once in her short life. But she could not find the right person for it. And thus, she was pretty much inexperienced in that area.

"Yes, maybe I will meet someone in this vacation trip. It should be a refreshing experience."

"Indeed. Will you tell me where you are going for your vacation? Maybe I should pack my bags too?" Ukitake said in a serious tone.

Rukia remembered all the fussing he did every time he forced her to leave work early for them to spend the weekends together.

"No. This time I want to go alone. And you don't have to worry. I will take care of myself." she said after a moment of hesitance. She did not want to hurt her father's feelings. "And as for the location, it's a secret!"

On hearing that, Ukitake was disappointed. Nevertheless, since he only wanted her happiness, he accepted her decision.

"It's ok…provided you call me from time to time. I will be very sad if you forget all about me when enjoying your holidays." He said teasingly.

"No, I won't forget you! I can never forget you. And yes, I will call you." she replied laughing.

He was relieved to see Rukia happy and laughing. It was quite a sight as she was very pretty. Her eyes lit up in a beautiful shade of purple, her laughter sounded like a sweet melody.

"I hope this vacation become a memorable one, Rukia, one in which, when remembering brings you lots of happiness and a smile to your lips. Maybe you will even find the right person for you there."

"I will only know when I go there." Rukia said with a happy smile, her eyes sparking jewels as she touched his hand, which was caressing her face, and enlaced her fingers through his.

Little did she know that her words might come true…

A/N: Next chapter Byakuya's entry and his POV … Please look forward for it… and PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

Her Last Wish

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm really VERY SORRY for the late update. I know I made all of you wait long, especially my best friend G. I hope she and all of you forgive me. So this chapter is dedicated to her and all those who had read, reviewed, followed and made this their favorite story. It makes me happy to read your reviews, so please, don't hesitate to write them. They encourage me a lot. As promised, this chapter is about Byakuya, his thoughts and his feelings. I really hope that I will not disappoint you because, for me, Byakuya's POV was a little difficult to write compared to Rukia's.

So, happy reading and please review.

Disclaim: I don't own bleach or any other characters. They belong to Tite Kubo.

Chapter 2

Karakura Town

4.00 pm

It had been more than ten years since he went to Karakura Town. Over the decade he'd been away, he hardly recognized the small town in which he had spent most of his holidays, as a child. He was not at all surprised to see new buildings and infrastructures occupying the once open, green space. This only proved that it had moved on, just like he had. Changes had to be made with time. Who knew that better than Kuchiki Byakuya? He had lived through them, he had changed himself. No one could have imagined that the cold, arrogant, stoic yet handsome and dashing man was once a hot headed, stubborn and rebellious spoilt brat.

Nevertheless, at the age of 26, he was already at the top of the business world and the most desirable as well as the richest man in Tokyo. He was often described as arrogant and rude, and would have any woman at his feet simply by snapping his fingers. He was the envy of everyone. (Being born with a silver spoon and having the looks that would make any woman swoon over.) He had a lean, slightly built body, collar length raven hair and smoky grey eyes, with strands of long hair falling over them.

Byakuya was simply perfection.

And he had worked hard to achieve it. He had to, because in his family, anything less than perfection was not accepted. He was, after all, the heir of one of the four Great Noble families in Tokyo. But, was he happy?

He ruminated on the question as he weaved through the traffic. Even after giving it much thought, he knew that this particular question did not mattered to him now. What mattered was where he was going. He knew his destination. In his mind, it was crystal clear. He could still picture the green clearing on the hill where a sakura tree stood proud and alone, surrounded by green grass. That place was meaningful and important to him. It held too many memories of him and Kaien.

At that very moment, he felt too much at once. The sudden piercing pain in his heart and the sick feeling in the gut made him lose his breath. Thinking of Kaien and remembering what had happened to him always made him miserable, filling his heart with guilt. It clawed through his insides and made his stomach turn, leaving a strong urge to vomit.

He stiffened in his seat and gripped the steering wheel hard until his knuckles became white. He fought to concentrate on his driving, pushing and prying his thoughts out when they began to overwhelm him.

"Control yourself." he muttered harshly under his breath, closing his eyes for a second. Taking a long, cleansing breath, he turned his black, sleek Porsche onto the rough path that led to the hill. Only a few meters separated him from his destination. Seeing that place again after so much time would hurt. Even knowing this, he was determined to go through it.

After stepping out of the car, he slowly walked on the small trail that led to the clearing. With his hands in the pockets of his expensive slacks and his office coat billowing out around him, he let his eyes roam the wide, green area. And let himself remember.

'This place had not changed at all,' he thought, with a sad smile on his lips. It brought back memories, which flashed back in his mind as pictures. He could see himself, as a child, running across the clearing with Kaien. He could still remember a 12-year old him bickering over trivial things with Kaien, under the sakura tree. He could also picture them lying on the soft grass, talking about their ambitions and dreams while gazing at stars. Kaien. That was right. This place was theirs. They were happy here. They could truly be themselves here. this was the place where they had spent most of their time together as innocent kids. But, it also reminded him of what he had lost. A brother, a companion, a well wisher, a partner…

His best friend, Shiba Kaien.

A movement caught his eye, just when he was about to step into the clearing.

Someone was there.

His eyes widened when he recognized the lonely figure that stood silently by the sakura tree several yards away. With the gentle breeze lifting her hair at her temples and ruffling the hem of her black dress, she looked absolutely beautiful.

'No wonder Kaien fell in love with her.' he thought before removing any trace of emotion from his face and composing himself by putting on the mask he displayed to everyone. He took a few steps and stood behind her. She seemed to be deep in thought and did not sense his presence.

"Miyako…" he called out to her with his deep voice. Startled, the said person spun around swiftly upon hearing her name.

"Byakuya-dono!" gasped Miyako; her eyes wide open and mouth agape. Recovering from her shock, she bowed down hastily in greeting before asking in her gentle voice, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," he said, wondering why she, of all persons, was here.

"Oh! Pardon me for my rudeness; it's just that this place is very close to my heart." she replied, lowering her eyes as she remembered all the special moments she had spent here with Kaien in the not-so-distant past.

Genuinely confused, he just raised an eyebrow at her answer. Feeling the need to explain, she continued, "Kaien proposed to me here."

This time, both of his brows shot up in surprise while, at the same time, he felt a pang of pain. Having seen the pain in his grey eyes, Miyako simply turned her back on him and wiped the few stray tears that escaped from her eyes. She knew that saying his name hurt both of them equally, the person having been an important one in both of their lives, someone they had lost. Kaien was his best friend while for her; he was her husband, the love of her life. "Byakuya-dono, don't you think it's time to move on? It has been a month since his death and yet, you still blame yourself for this. It was not your fault."

He did not reply, but his silence said it all. Sighing quietly, she turned towards him and changed the subject for their own sake, "I might as well tell you the good news for I know that you will be happy. I'm pregnant, Byakuya-dono. I'm going to have Kaien's child." she announced, her face lit up with pure joy. "The Shiba Clan is finally going to have its heir and the first sigh of happiness after a long time."

For the first time in his life, he was speechless and just stared at her wide smile in amazement. He had not seen her smile like that before. Not when she was together with her husband. Not even at her wedding. Truly, motherhood did do amazing things to a woman. He was happy for her, yet, at the same time he was sad that the unborn child would never meet his father.

"Congratulations."

"I'm glad a part of Kaien is still with me," she said, placing her hand on her stomach affectionately. "This child is now my purpose of living. I am healing inside, Byakuya-dono and want the same for you. Here, take it."

On her raised palm lay a silver chain, which he knew all too well. It was Kaien's good luck chain which he always wore. He never ever took it off. Byakuya gazed at it without any expression, but inside he was a mess. All the feelings were tangled together, leaving him feeling bitter. Grief, hatred, sadness and anger overwhelmed him in such a way that he wanted to throw a punch into the tree. Most of all, he wanted to hurt himself, he wanted to punish himself even more. It was him that should have died in the accident. Kaien had a wife, a happy family and now a child, while Byakuya was single, without any family except for his grandfather and had very few persons that would mourn his death. He felt cheated. It was his entire fault. Even though death was inevitable and unpredictable, wasn't that just unfair?

When he did nothing but stare at the chain, she took his hand and placed it on his palm before curling his fingers over it.

"Kaien would have wanted you to have it. It is yours now." Miyako said without any regret. Everything that belonged to her husband was precious in her eyes, but she did not mind giving this chain to Byakuya. She was aware of their deep, everlasting friendship which she really admired. 'And, he should have much more than memories to survive this difficult period of time.'

"Thank you." he finally said after a long moment.

"Then I'll let you do what you came to do there in peace. It was nice meeting you again. Goodbye." she said while bowing slightly. His only reaction was a brief nod. Feeling a stab of sympathy for him, she placed her hand on his shoulders as a sigh of comfort and left him alone with his thoughts.

He looked at the chain for a while before putting it on. The metal was cool against his pale skin around his neck. It seemed to lessen the guilt in his heart a little and he vowed to cherish it for the rest of his life. He understood Miyako's kind gesture. It was a chance to forgive himself and let go, but her effort was futile. He had seen himself change little by little yet again during the past month. Nothing and no one could bring him back to what he was before Kaien's death because something, deep inside, was broken. It is said that time heals the biggest of wounds, but Byakuya refused to be healed. Not until he found the answers to his questions. For the meantime, he needed the pain to keep going. Without it, he would be numb and useless. And that was unacceptable. It was his punishment, a punishment, he was willing to bear.

Alone on the hill, he stood tall and breathtaking to any outsider. He gazed at the grey clouds that hovered over the town and at the buildings that appeared small, stretching across the horizon. At this point of his life, he just wanted to break down but he had too much pride to allow himself to do that. He desperately needed an escape, to get away from everything. But first of all, he had to find out the truth.

The truth about Kaien's death.

He had doubts that what all thought was an accident, could in fact, be a well-planned murder. The courier with the evidence that he got the previous day could not be ignored. It was very important for him to know. A burning fire present in his heart filled his mind and blinded him with vengeance.

His eyes hardened in resolve. Remembering the days of grief and mourning only served to strengthen it. He had made up his mind; if it was true that Kaien was murdered, he was going to hunt down the culprit and make his life miserable. He would not rest in peace until he found out who killed his best friend. And he knew exactly the right person to help him accomplish his goal.

He took his mobile out of his pocket and dialed a number that only few persons knew. He did not have to wait long as the receiver picked it up right after the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Kuchiki Byakuya here. I require your services, Ulquiorra Schiffer." he said in his usual emotionless tone but his eyes were a dangerous bright liquid silver. Avenging Kaien's death was the only thing in his mind and nothing and no one could stray him away from his goal. That was a promise he made to himself. Maybe, then, and only then, would he have a clear conscience.

A/N: So, that was Byakuya's POV. I hope you like it. Please REVIEW so that I know how you feel about this chapter.

Hint: Next chapter-Byakuya and Ulquiorra interaction and a huge surprise for those who are UlquiHime fans. I have decided to write a side story to show Ulquiorra investigating Kaien's death, with Orihime involved, of course. I sincerely hope you support me in this too. Just so you know, I have already started writing chapter 3 and I might publish it on New Year's Eve.

Till then, goodbye and PLEASE REVIEW. It warms my heart to read them.


End file.
